Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge speaking at the launch of Innovate Karnataka, March 1 2018

Karnataka whips IT & BT together under a new umbrella

Bangalore, March 2 2018: Karnataka state -- home to India's Silicon City-- has launched an umbrella brand for all innovation in the state -- emerging technologies such as blockchain, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), nanotechnology, etc as well as its vibrant startup ecosystem.
Launching ‘Innovate Karnataka', Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, “Development cannot happen without innovation, and no innovation is truly big unless it helps people. With ‘Innovate Karnataka’, we hope to start on the path to Mission 2025: where technology will help in the inclusive development of the state, where better governance can be delivered to the citizens.
‘Innovate Karnataka’ will be spearheaded by the Department of Innovation and Technology. A modern, more advanced version of the existing Departments of IT, BT.
Sait IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge: “We are at the cusp of a technology revolution across the world, and Karnataka is poised to be the global leader when it comes to innovation. Already, we are spearheading the startup movement in India, and ensuring that we’re at the forefront of blockchain, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence innovation. Now, it’s time to take Karnataka into a safe, secure future where technology solves real problems.”
The government also launched several Centres of Excellence (CoE) across Karnataka including the Centre of Excellence for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, in association with NASSCOM; Centre of Excellence for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics, in association with ABAI; Centre of Excellence for Machine Learning & Robotics at IIITB; Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security.
An Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM) Cluster was announced for Mysore, and a Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) Incubator in Hubli was launched -- clearly putting the focus on not just Bengaluru, but the rest of the state as well. Rs. 40 million will be spent on each facility.
The minister also announced a roadmap for use of blockchain technology in Karnataka, and said that it will be used extensively in governance and service delivery, in a manner that has maximum social impact.The event, also saw the launch of two portals youth of the state to participate in ‘Innovate Karnataka’: The Yuva Yuga portal will act as the one-stop-shop for all the information related to the state’s skill development program, and e-Margadarshi will help youth who are looking for employment to fulfill their dreams.